What is the dictation theory?
The dictation theory (sometimes called the mechanical dictation theory) attempts to describe what it means that the Bible is God’s Word. When people claim that the Bible is the Word of God, they are generally referring to the concept known as the inspiration of the Bible. This belief about the Bible comes from 2 Timothy…
Why is it so hard to understand the Bible?
Everyone, to varying degrees, struggles in trying to understand the Bible. Even after nearly 2,000 years of church history, there are some Bible verses and passages that leave even the most brilliant of Bible scholars speculating as to the exact and correct meaning. Why is it so hard to understand the Bible? Why does it…
What is the Apocalypse of Moses?
The Apocalypse of Moses, also known as the Life of Adam and Eve, belongs to a category of literature called the Pseudepigrapha, meaning “false writings.” Despite the book’s title attributing authorship to Moses, historians agree that an anonymous writer composed the work in the first century AD. The book contains fictionalized stories about Adam and…
What is the law of first mention?
The law (or principle or rule) of first mention is a guideline that some people use for studying Scripture. The law of first mention says that, to understand a particular word or doctrine, we must find the first place in Scripture that word or doctrine is revealed and study that passage. The reasoning is that…
Who wrote the book of 1 Peter? Who was the author of 1 Peter?
The apostle Peter is the author of 1 Peter, one of the books bearing his name. The opening introduces Peter as “an apostle of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:1). In the Gospels, Peter comes across as being the most expressive of the Twelve, and he is arguably the most famous. Peter, James, and John comprised…
What is a hapax legomenon?
Hapax Legomenon (plural legomena) is a Greek term that literally means “being said once.” It has come to refer to a term that is used only once in a given context, whether it is the works of a particular author, a particular work of literature, or even within all the known writings of a particular…
Who wrote the book of 3 John? Who was the author of 3 John?
The book of 3 John is one of the shortest works in the New Testament, written by “the elder” to Gaius, a “dear friend” (3 John 1:1). The author is traditionally identified as John the Apostle, the same author of 1 and 2 John. Third John is a personal letter, akin to Philemon and Titus.…
What are the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs?
Beginning in the era between the writing of the Old and New Testaments, various non-canonical writers developed a series of works under assumed names. These are collectively called the pseudepigrapha, since they are clearly not written by their claimed authors. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is part of this genre. The work claims to…
What is source criticism?
Source criticism is a specialized field of biblical studies that seeks to determine the sources used to develop the final form of the biblical text. The source critic reads the book of Genesis, for example, and asks, “Where did the author get this information? What written documents and/or oral traditions contributed to the stories recorded…
Is it ever appropriate to take a single verse of Scripture out of its context?
Using a passage of Scripture out of context can lead to error and misunderstanding. But not always. Quoting a single verse of course lifts it out of context, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the verse is being misused. Some “out of context” verses reveal a stand-alone truth; others require a consideration of their context in…